Baby’s First Herbal Bath Soak
A bath ritual not only provides cleansing and care for a baby, but also deep relaxation and well-being! Newborns especially feel very comfortable in warm water, as it reminds them of the protected time in the womb. In this article, you will find a recipe for a baby’s very first herbal bath soak with natural…
How to Make Lavender Wands
Extract from The Wild Craft by Catarina Seixas, published in 2022 by Hardie Grant Publishing. Photographs © Ana Zilhão Some years ago, while exploring an old, abandoned house, I opened a drawer and found a lavender wand inside. I brought it up to my nose and instinctively inhaled the sweet fragrance deeply, even though the passing…
Lavender, Lemon, and Peppermint Essential Oils: Boring? Or Powerful Allies?
Do you ever feel that your retailer or favorite essential oil blogger is always touting the benefits of new essential oils you have not heard of or, at least, do not own? We may or may not know much about the oil other than what the retailer or blogger claims, but the advertising makes it…
How to Make Easy and Delicious Dandelion Fritters
Dandelions (Taraxacum officinalis) bloom on lawns all around the world. Herbalists use the roots and leaves of the plant for supporting the elimination systems of the body. Dandelion leaf is commonly used as a diuretic and the root is used to support liver and gallbladder function (Chevallier, 2000). However, one of my favorite ways to…
Herbal Academy Student Feature: Anna Booth Cohen (@herbalist_uprising)
We recently interviewed Herbal Academy graduate, Anna Booth Cohen (@herbalist_uprising) to learn more about her herbal journey. In 2015, Ann launched Herbal Uprising, an herbal business that offers educational programs, herbal consults, and herbal products. She has completed Herbal Academy’s Holistic Cancer Care Course. HA: Please tell us a little bit about yourself and…
Avipattikar Churna: Herbal Support For Digestive Imbalance
With summer around the corner, some of us are thrilled by warmer temperatures and the prospect of stone fruits, berries, smoothies, and salads. However, those who run warm, e.g. pitta types, may need to take caution to tame the internal fires as external temperatures climb. This means keeping the body temperature, emotional thermometer, and digestive…
How to Make Butterfly Pea Flower Syrup For a Botanical Drink With Lime and Lilac Ice Cubes
Butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea) flower is an indigo-blue, vibrant bloom that imparts its signature hue into food and drinks, turning them a variety of shades from blue to fuchsia. I have been endlessly inspired by the unique color in my cooking and beverage preparations. This prolific vining plant can be used in teas, desserts, savory…
Color-Changing Herbal Limoncello Recipe
As summer reaches its peak, you will likely find yourselves looking for ways to come together with friends and family — while staying cool! While food and games are all enjoyed at warm-weather gatherings, why not take your celebration to the next level by offering a fun botanically infused cocktail (with a mocktail option) for…
5 Ways to Prepare Flowers
The following aromatic plant excerpt on ways to prepare flowers is from the book, “Botanicals With Benefits: Develop a New Relationship With Your Garden: The Edible Flower Volume” by Kerry Hughes, and is reprinted with permission. Kerry Hughes, MS, principal for EthnoPharm (www.Ethnopharm.com), is an ethnobotanist, herbalist, and author with a 20-year record of success in natural…
Herbal Wonders of Greece
Greece is a beautiful country surrounded on three sides by the Mediterranean, Aegean, and Ionian seas. Ranked as one of the sunniest countries in Europe, Greece is a popular vacation destination for visitors from around the world who seek to experience its exquisite beaches and seaside resorts. In addition to its promise of fun in…
DIY Crampy Belly Baby Oil for a Gentle and Calming Massage
Tummy aches, or rather “excess wind”–as it is called in Chinese Medicine–is not uncommon in babies. Especially in the first 3 to 4 months (also called the “3-month colic”), the crampy belly often occurs. Anthropologists have theorized that evolution has made a trade-off between our big human brains and the narrow pelvises we need for…
Summer Solstice: Mark the Changing of Spring Into Summer With Intention
It seems to me as though the more years I accumulate the faster they seem to fly by, each racing past more quickly than the last. A core lesson of my adult life has been to find ways in which I can regularly slow down and honor the passage of time. One of my favorite…
How to Make Pressed Flower Lanterns to Celebrate the Summer Solstice
The sun has reached its peak angle and is in its full, brilliant splendor throughout the long summer days before making its slow descent toward its lower arc during winter’s relative darkness. We have reached a turning point in the year. The summer solstice, coming from the Latin words “sol” (sun) and “stitium” (still or…
DIY Old-Fashioned Beard Oil: A Perfect Father’s Day Gift
A child’s first hero, protector, provider, teacher, and best friend, a father figure can be such a guiding force in a child’s life. The dad jokes, advice, and many memories throughout the years are something to be cherished. Families are a unique complexity as we all know. Some families you are born into and some…
How to Grow Your Own Tea Garden + Helpful Harvesting Tips
It’s an Appalachian summer morning and the sun is just starting to peek its face over the mountain. I start my day in the tea garden. The tops of the trees glow gold while the valley is still cool and covered in dew. I wander through the garden, favorite mug in hand, snipping a bit…
Sitopaladi Churna: Sweet Cough Powder for Respiratory Support
With spring in full swing, consider yourself fortunate if you are not affected by seasonal allergies or other respiratory issues. On the other hand, if you do experience sneezing, wheezing, coughing, and other respiratory allergy symptoms, you may find yourself looking for new methods of respiratory support. Or, perhaps you simply want to have some…
Herbal Academy Student Feature: Elliot Durt
We recently interviewed Herbal Academy student, Elliot Durt, who completed The Mushroom Course through our option of online courses. In his travels, Elliot enjoys exploring different forests and bioregions, learning about the different native herbs and medicinal plants that grow in each area. You can find him on Instagram at @the.durt.family. HA: Tell us a…
How to Make Your Own Tea Blends + a Soothing Sleep Tea Recipe
Have you ever tried an herbal tea that was so delicious you just couldn’t put it down? What about one that you couldn’t finish drinking, no matter how hard you tried, because it tasted like muddy water? The art of making herbal tea blends is a skill that takes practice, experimentation, and observation. It requires…
A Fresh Green Juice Recipe With Alterative Herbs
Spring is finally here. The days are getting longer and the sunlight more intense, which allows the first herbs of the season to appear again with full fresh energy. After a long winter, we crave a little reawakening. Fresh herbs that are lush and green are an ideal choice in spring to kickstart this change…
How to Make Cinnamon Crème Chocolate Hearts With Reishi Mushroom Powder
The perfect balance between bittersweet chocolate and a rich and creamy cinnamon filling, these chocolate hearts are the stuff dreams are made of. Nourishing ingredients, and of course love, make these cinnamon cremes both healthy and pleasing to the tongue. Providing fibre, magnesium, and antioxidants, cacao is packed with health benefits. Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum syn….
Aromatic Plant Preparation & Uses
The following aromatic plant excerpt is from the book, “Botanicals With Benefits: Develop a New Relationship With Your Garden: The Aromatic Plants Volume” by Kerry Hughes, and is reprinted with permission. Kerry Hughes, MS, principal for EthnoPharm (www.Ethnopharm.com), is an ethnobotanist, herbalist, and author with a 20-year record of success in natural product development. Kerry also is…
3 Must-Read Books to Enrich Your Relationship with the Plant World
Books have the capacity to transport us simultaneously deep within our own minds and to far-off destinations. The experiences we have while reading can help us to see our own world with new eyes and renewed wonder. This shift in lens is definitely the case with the must-read books for plant people I want to…
DIY Baby Herbal Diaper Balm to Soothe Rashes and Keep the Skin Healthy
A baby’s delicate skin is particularly sensitive to environmental influences and harmful substances. Therefore, it is critically important to choose products that contain substances that don’t irritate. For instance, if you are dealing with a diaper rash, it is important to use a diaper balm that is safe and healthy. Creating your own allows you…
A Mother’s Day Tribute to ALL Mamas!
Being a Mom looks different for everyone. Much like our herbalism journey, no two paths are the same. We asked some of our inspiring students and herbalists – How has being a Mom influenced your herbalism journey? We’ve put together a Mother’s Day tribute highlighting a few of these responses. Read the powerful messages below about…
Make Your Own Herbal Facial Care Kit for Mother’s Day
“The days are long, but the years are short” is a saying so true it can almost define parenthood. Sleepless nights during infancy, navigating the rough waters of toddlerhood, answering the infinite questions of a young developing mind, tending the delicate balance of raising a teen, and managing the worries of a young adult child…
Herbal Academy Student Feature: Shannon Mulligan-Mayernik (@mayernikkitchen)
For our Student Feature series, we recently interviewed Herbal Academy graduate, Shannon Mulligan-Mayernik (@mayernikkitchen). Shannon and her husband own Mayernik Kitchen, an herbal apothecary located in Northern New Jersey. They grow over 50+ medicinal herbs on their herb farm in Sussex County, NJ, which they use to create plant medicines. They offer a wide range…
5 Helpful Study Tips for Herbalism
As a new student of herbalism, oftentimes it can feel overwhelming as we try to soak in the abundance of information we are learning. Trying to remember lists of new terms, the benefits of common kitchen spices, and the unique energetics of all the different herbs may feel quite daunting! Much like our time in…
Triphala: Time-Honored Digestive Support for All Types
Most herb lovers have their shortlist of herbal essentials. These are the single herbs or formulas that you are sure to keep in stock, the ones that you always throw in the travel suitcase or day bag. If you were stranded on a desert island, which three herbs would you want to have with you?…
Getting Ticked Off: An Essential Oil Blend to Repel Ticks
Ticks are arachnids from the order Ixodida, divided into three families, the Ixodidae (hard ticks), the Argasidae (soft ticks), and Nuttalliellidae, which contains only one species living in southern Africa (Wikipedia, 2022). These parasitic relatives of mites are vectors for numerous human diseases, the most widely recognized being Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever…
DIY Foraged Chickweed Salve
Chickweed (Stellaria media) is one of the most common medicinal lawn weeds in North America. It enjoys cool temperatures, so it is typically one of the first weeds to arrive in early spring. This common weed has many herbal benefits; it has traditionally been used to soothe skin issues, which makes it a great ingredient…
